worldsofsdnfandomcom-20200214-history
Sentient Species of the Galaxy
Introduction The known galaxy is teeming with life forms of various kinds, the most prominent amongst them being Humanity. A handful still move around individual sectors in slow Heim Drives but most have mastered the principles of Hyperspace, permitting them to exploit the network of minimal resistance hyperlanes that span the reaches of space. The races can be divided into these basic categories: Mammalian Bipedal (Humanoid), Reptilian Bipedal, Mammalian Quadripedal, Reptilian Quadripedal, Insectoid, and Computational. They are often broadly categorized into Humanoid Organic, non-Humanoid Organic, and Computational. Humanoid Organic Species that are like Humans, in that they possess mammalian characteristics and are bipedal. This includes those of exotic aspects, such as the ursine Bragulans. Apexai Homeworld: Apexaia (Lost) Alternative Names: Grey Spacefaring: Yes. Hyperspace-capable. Political Affiliations: United Solarian Sovereignty Number: 5 billion Natural Lifespans: > 500 The Apexai are a race of amphibious gray-skinned diminutive humanoid beings that possess reduced forms and anatomical components. They are a highly technologically sophisticated society, relying on advanced technology to compensate for their individual physical weaknesses. The Apexai are also a notoriously arrogant and presumptuous race, considering other races but especially humans and Bragulans as apes and barely sentient, and most certainly beneath them. Humans Homeworld: Earth and Nova Terra Alternative Names: Terrans Spacefaring: Yes. Hyperspace-capable. Political Affiliations: Numerous. Natural Lifespans: <125 with modern medicine, >300 with anti-aging augmentation. Humans are the most widely-spread, culturally diverse species in the known Galaxy. Many of the interstellar powers are Human ones, or at least Human-dominated. Their political ideologies span from the economic and social collectivism of the Commune to the conservative, traditional forms of the Grand Dominion. Some states such as the Byzantine Imperium are notoriously known for their xenophobia to the extent that their long term goal is to simply purge the galaxy of all xenos. One of the great mysteries of the galaxy is how Humanity evolved almost exactly the same on two different planets. Bragulans Homeworld: '''Bragule '''Alternative Names: '''Shardik '''Spacefaring: '''Yes. Hyperspace-capable. '''Political Affiliations: Bragulan Star Empire Natural Lifespans: < 120 with modern medicine, > 300 with anti-aging augmentation A severe and militaristic race of ursine appearance and power, the Bragulans are governed by a totalitarian regime noted for brutality and callous disregard for just about everything around them. For more information, see Bragulan_Star_Empire Chamarrans Homeworld: Chamarra Numbers: '''in excess of 170 billion '''Spacefaring: Yes. Hyperspace capable. Political Affiliations: '''The Chamarran Hierarchy and the Nova Atlantean Commonwealth. '''Natural lifespan: 100 years with modern medicine, 200 years with anti ageing augmentation. A species genetically engineered from a human base for reasons unknown by forces unknown, Chamarrans much resemble catgirls of 20th 21st century anime. They are more dangerous than their cute appearance would suggest, having by all evidence been designed as a race of supersoldiers. Exploring the psychological differences between Chamarrans and the human baseline is an interesting and very complex exercise. On the one hand, even a casual survey reveals anthropoid traits such as the tendency to identify with extended family groups ('clans'). On the other, observation of Chamarrans in action provides a mass of evidence of characteristically felinoid traits- such as the tendency to toy with prey and investigate new situations in an excessively curious and sneaky fashion. Dilgrud Homeworld: Dilgrudar Alternative Names: Spacefaring: Yes. Hyperspace-capable. Political Affiliations: Dilgrud Confederation, dependency of the Anglian Empire Natural Lifespans: '''<130 with modern medicine, >300 with anti-aging augmentation. A race of physically powerful and violent humanoids who built an entire culture around their presumption of inherent superiority and right to conquest. The Dilgrud conquests in the 30th Century and the resulting Dilgrud Wars against New Anglia are considered one of the galaxy's most bloody and savage periods of warfare. Kryptonian '''Homeworld: Krypton Alternative Names: None Spacefaring: Yes. Hyperspace-capable. Political Affiliations: Member race of the Anglian Empire. Natural Lifespans: Unknown. The Kryptonians were one of the earliest spacefaring races in the known galaxy, having achived starflight over eight thousand years ago. Vilointly isolationist Ibla Homeworld: '''Ibla '''Alternative Names: Spacefaring: Yes. Hyperspace-capable. Political Affiliations: Sultanate of Klavostan Number: ~15 billion Natural Lifespans: ~100 with modern medicine 7-foot tall humanoids who had only just begun to consider gunpowder a curiousity when the Klavostanis came, the Ibla have since been loyal vassals, as the word they favor for their place in society roughly translates to. Previously not having much of a concept of religion before, the Ibla's religious observance rate now far exceeds that of relatively more secular modern Humans in Klavostan, and regions on their planet that once fought bitterly in bloody warfare now compete in other ways, such as stunning architecture for Mosques. Kryptonian Homeworld: Krypton Alternative Names: Spacefaring: Yes. Hyperspace-capable. Political Affiliations: Independent - Kryptonian Empire (no known subject races) Natural Lifespans: Inknown. Number: Unknown, Estimated at over 200 billion. Kryptonians are one of the oldest Sentient species in the Galaxy, having achieved starflight prior to the rise of even the city-state on Earth. The only older races are the Lost and the Locians. Kryptonian expansion has been limited by both a cautious expansion policy followed by self-imposed isolation, thereby allowing Humanity to become dominant in this part of the Galaxy. Kryptonians generally appear to outwardly be human, and can pass as human in most situations. Due to higher gravity on Krypton, physical traits are somewhat on the high end of unboosted humans, and senses are slightly keener than human, but only slightly (5% greater visual spectrum, ect). Moogles Homeworld: Narshe (Figaro Sector) Alternative Names: None Spacefaring: Yes. Hyperspace capable. Political Affiliations: Full citizens of the Shinra Republic Number: Exact number unknown Natural Lifespans: Long Small, white furred inhabitants of the Narshe system of the Figaro Sector in the Shinra Republic. Their most prominent feature is a red-furred "pom pom" on an antenna atop their head. It is considered extremely rude to touch this feature on a Moogle, and greatly irritates them when it happens. Orthii Homeworld: 'Orth '''Alternative Names: '''Kitten Cats '''Spacefaring: '''Yes, hyperspace capable '''Political Affiliations: 'Chimera Subsector 'Natural Lifespans: '< 90 with modern medicine > 200 with anti-aging augmentation A felinoid race native to the Chimera Subsector and widespread in the Wild Space of the Koprulu Zone, Orthii are literally cats in space and are known for their daring attitude, rough individualistic attitudes, and keen sense of adventure, often being seen quite far from their home, traveling to distant lands in search of excitement and creature comforts. Phosako 'Homeworld: '''Jobehda (also known as Yaga IV) '''Spacefaring: '''Full participants in hyperspace-capable Umerian civilization. Prior to contact, limited to ''extremely primitive nuclear rocketry. '''Political Affiliations: Full citizenship in the The Technocracy of Umeria . Natural Lifespans: '<70 years with pre-atomic medical care; <110 years circa first contact, <200 years at present. The Phosako are a species of squat near-humanoids, varying in shade from powder blue to blue-black. Their most remarkable characteristic is their eyes, which are flecked with a wide variety of colors in very unusual combinations. Phosako who expect to interact with humans on a regular basis typically wear various forms of light-masking eyewear to avoid disconcerting their comrades. The Phosako were just over a generation into the Atomic Age when the Technocracy of Umeria's first scout saucers landed on their homeworld in 2641 and asked to be taken to the Phosakos' leaders. At the time, the planet was divided into two major and several minor power blocs. When one of the major blocs attempted an attack against the orbiting Umerian starships using primitive surface to space missile batteries, this state of affairs changed rapidly. The resulting planetary conflict was resolved with many fewer thermonuclear initiations than expected thanks to the assistance of Umerian forces. Within twenty years, the Phosako discovered to their delight that the technologically superior alien federation that had invited them to join it had a form of government that would be perfectly logical and well-designed... for Phosako. To this day they do not fully understand why ''humans settled on such a form of government, but continue to operate cheerfully within the Technocracy using their literally superhuman powers of efficiency in small social groups such as committees. Starting in the aftermath of the Jaggan War, the Phosako became an integral part of the Umerian state, and are indeed overrepresented at the upper levels of its government, making up as much as 8% of the leadership of some ministries despite consisting only 4% of the Technocracy's population. The inner Yaga system is fully controlled by a semi-autonomous Phosako-governed agency, as the Technocrats of the time chose to acknowledge their "flags and footprints" claims to the inner system as legitimate, admiring the species' collective gallantry in sending manned missions to the near-habitable inner planet Yaga III and rudimentary automated probes to the other inner planets, despite the limits of their crude nuclear and ion propulsion systems. Trill '''Homeworld: '''Trill '''Alternative Names: Trillan Spacefaring: Yes. Hyperspace-capable. Political Affiliations: 'Member race of the Anglian Empire. '''Natural Lifespans: '<175 with modern medicine, >325 with anti-aging augmentation. A race of humanoids who look fairly human in almost every way, save internal anatomical differences and their possession of spotlines. The spot lines are their most noted physical feature, spanning from the forehead down both sides of the hairline and neck, then down the torso and inner legs to the ankle. The race was uniified centuries ago by a culture that emphasizes science and rationalism, with most Trill religions now functionally dead (though ceremonial observations still happen as part of tradition). Thanagarians '''Homeworld: '''Thanagar '''Alternative Names: '''Hawkmen '''Spacefaring: '''Yes. Hyperspace-capable. '''Political Affiliations: '''Member race of the Anglian Empire. '''Natural Lifespans: <100 with modern medicine, >275 with anti-aging augmentation. One of the most puzzling and interesting races in the known Galaxy. The Thanagarians are essentially Human in most visible and even internal respects, with one crucial difference: the wide, feathery wings that grow out of their backs. With wing spans of up to 12 feet overall (6 feet per wing) and averaging 8 feet for males and 6 for females, the Thanagarians are puzzling to biologists who study evolution, as there is no apparent natural cause or logic behind their possession of the wings. Functionally the wings are not capable of more than supporting a Thanagarian's weight for gliding; true flight only became possible when Thanagarian metallurgy and energy technology progressed enough to refine and use Levitanium for flight belts. As a culture, the Thanagarians are aggressive and militaristic, though they are not mindlessly aggressive and xenophobic like other militant races and are capable of working with other species. Tau Homeworld: 'T'au (Sterilized by the Byzantine Empire, New T'au now the adopted homeworld) '''Spacefaring: '''Yes. Hyperspace-capable. '''Political Affiliations: 'Nova Atlantean Commonwealth of Worlds, small enclaves found among the more tollerant human states '''Population: Aproximately 5 billion Natural Lifespan: '''100 years with modern medicine, 250 years with anti-aging augmentation Tau are bluish grey skinned hummanoids with hoofed feet, noseless faces and four fingers per hand native to T'au. Tau are divided into five subspecies based castes, Fio (Earth), Kor (Air), Por (Water), Shas (Fire) and Aun (Ethereal). The T'au once had a technologically advanced Empire in the Koprulu sector, but its leadership eventually drove it into a war with the Byzantine Empire. The Tau Empire commited attrocities which were met by counter autrocities by the Byzantines, eventually leading to the Byzantine Government to commit genocide against the Tau. Some Tau refugees escaped, notably to the Nova Atlantean Commonwealth of Worlds. Today, the Tau population is increasing and has (in the case of the Commonwealth) become a respectable minority population. Some aspects of T'au culture endure and the caste system still exists as an informal arangement, although there are a few exceptions giving rise to the Twilight Caste (a term used to refer to the result of cross caste relations). Ethereals now serve a similar role to that of Rabbis or Muftis in Tau culture, offering non binding (but generally obeyed) opinions and advise to advance the cause of the Greater Good of society. The existance of Tau Enclaves in the Commonwealth has compromised its relations with the Holy Empire of Haruhi Suzumiya (which has improved somewhat) and the Byzantine Empire. Vinarans '''Homeworld: '''Vinar '''Spacefaring: '''Participants in hyperspace-capable Umerian civilization. Also found in small numbers elsewhere in the Spinward Expanse. '''Political Affiliations: Legally, full citizenship in the The Technocracy of Umeria; in practice, economically disadvantaged minority group. Natural Lifespans: '<70 years with pre-atomic medical care; <150 years at present. Life expectancy somewhat depressed by social factors. Vinarans are a green-skinned race of humanoids that exhibit considerable sexual dimorphism. Vinaran males are frequently over two meters tall and are almost invariably heavily muscled, while Vinaran females are typically more to human scale (~170 cm average with good nutrition) and more lightly built, though usually with a deceptive amount of high-density muscle fiber. According to a combination of archeological evidence and historical records, Vinaran civilization reached its first high point circa 500 A.D., with limited intra-system travel and a sophisticated planetary datanet. However, this was the high water mark of their independent culture; ecological crises and collective mismanagement of planetary resources resulted in a major crash to pre-atomic and in many areas pre-industrial levels of population and technology. By 800 A.D., the Vinarans were effectively trapped in the early industrial era. Growth of the small surviving Steam Age enclaves was limited by scarce energy resources and by the badly degraded planetary ecosystem. Much of the planet declined to Iron Age barbarism. This status quo persisted for nearly two thousand years, long enough that the cultural memory of Atomic Age technology was largely forgotten, until their discovery by Umerian explorers during their Golden Age, c. 2500 A.D. At the time, Vinar was remote from the centers of human colonization. Contact with interstellar civilization had little effect on Vinar's culture, though it figured prominently in the experiences of many of the more illustrious Umerian adventurers of the era. During the early years of the Fourth Wave expansion, the Umerian borders advanced to within relatively close distance of Vinar. It was a surprise to no one when the Technocracy annexed Vinar in 2946, after extended negotations with the more advanced and organized polities on the planet. While this led to large, rapid improvements in the quality of life of the average Vinaran, the Vinarans never fully assimilated into Umerian civilization. Their homeworld's lack of resources and infrastructure made it a relatively low priority for economic development. Even today, Vinar remains a backwater, with anomalously high rates of alcoholism and other drug dependencies. Emigration from the planet is relatively high, both internally to other Umerian worlds and externally to other nations in the Spinward Expanse. However, a combination of adverse social factors make it very hard for the Vinarans to succeed collectively as a species, with conspicious individual exceptions. Most Vinaran immigrants of both sexes wind up as a disaffected and relatively poor minority, often in menial jobs. Non-Humanoid Organic Airaii '''Political Affiliation: '''Former Outlander Commissions '''Hyperspace Capable: '''Yes '''Numbers: '''Unknown '''Life Spans: '''Unknown The Airaii are a pretty odd bunch. They're basically insectoid mongolians who never moved beyond the cultural ideal of small group and 1v1 combats. They can't breathe air, they're cold blooded, about 1.2 - 1.6 meters tall, and weirdest of all, they've got ten bloody limbs. Their population is hugely dynamic as they tend to war with each other a lot, and they're very strongly r-strategy - a hundred eggs is pretty standard. 'Amplitur Political Affliation: Amplitur Choir/Diaspora(Home systems destroyed) Hyperspace Capable: '''Yes '''Numbers: '''Aproximately 40 Billion(Diaspora in Shoal Regions, numbers in the Verge are unknown) '''Life Span: >150 The Amplitur Declared war on the Shepistani Republic and Grand Dominion several hundred years ago. Since the end of the war they have fled to shoal regions, the Verge, and taken up roles as cult leaders on Human worlds with insufficient protection against pyskers. In late 3400 a Amplitur Choir Vessel, a large vessel comparable in strength in Collector Monoliths, destroyed 3 GDN vessels in the Ocracoke System. The fate of the DCMA vessel Stellar Neighbor ''is unknown. Angmarid '''Political Affiliation: '''Former Outlander Commissions, Reef Star Republic (Sector AA-25) '''Hyperspace Capable: '''Yes '''Numbers: '''Unknown '''Life Spans: '''Unknown There are actually five seperate subspecies sharing a common ancestor, and some unifying features (warm blood, and Zoidberg tentacles, basically.). The Reef Star Angmarids are crustaceanoids with pincers, compound eyes and brightly colored carapaces. Avians '''Homeworld:'N/A Political Affiliation: '''The Refuge '''Hyperspace Capable: '''Yes Avians are a highly varied race due to the availability and acceptance of technology to alter physical appearance. As such there cannot be said to be a 'standard' size, shape, or set of colors for any of them. Generally they can be said to be larger than birds of Terran origin and often sharing a similar superficial appearance (beaks, feathers, wings) but exceptions exist for nearly every feature. Gron '''Political Affiliation: '''Independent (?) '''Hyperspace Capable: Marginally so Numbers: 'Estimated at 10-15 billion. The Gron are a race of hardy bipedal saurians hailing from a remote world buried in the shoals of Sector H-12. As such, their access to the civilized galaxy is minimal, and they are rarely seen beyond the boundaries of the sector itself. They have some minimal degree of contact with the Iduran Confederation (see below), but are in no way an offshoot of the Iduran species. While to humans the two species appear superficially similar, the biological differences between Idurans and Gron are comparable to those between, say, humans and Tau, and no one who had seen members of both species would confuse the two for a moment. Most conspicuously, the average Gron stands three meters tall to an Iduran's 1.2. The Gron home system is reasonably well-managed, but the economic difficulties of large-scale hyperspace travel in the shoals immediately surrounding the planet make it nearly impossible for them to exercise control over interstellar distances. While hardscrabble Gron colonies can be found scattered throughout the sector (mostly by Heim drive expeditionary fleets in centuries past), these colonies are functionally independent. The Gron homeworld typically denies all responsibility for their actions, with reason. 'Iduran Political Affliation: Iduran Confederation Hyperspace Capable: '''Yes '''Numbers: '''130 billion '''Life Span: <150 naturally, ~180 with modern medicine, ~220 with anti-aging practices Idurans look a bit like a velociraptor. They average about 120 cm (four feet) tall and 120 cm long. Idurans are reptilian, with a bone structure that differs slightly from that of humans in which their wrist bones pivot off one bone rather than two, and their ribcages are resemble "latticework". Their lifespans tend to be longer than humans. Unlike Earth reptiles, they are warm blooded, having a body temperature slightly higher then that of humans, although they have very great difficulty operating in cold environments. Idurans have claws on their fingers and toes capable of acting as weapons. They also have very sharp teeth and what is referred to as a "tail stump", which is probably the atrophied remains of a tail lost during evolution. They have no tear ducts; crying in either sadness or otherwise was completely unheard of to Idurans prior to its encounters with humans. They have a revulsion to eating eggs, due to the similarities to their own life cycle. Ginger acts as a stimulant on Iduran physiology, and, as stated below, disrupts females' sexual cycles. Idurans can also become intoxicated from alcohol. Idurans are seasonal breeders. They are sexually inactive for all but a few weeks of the year, at which point the females become fertile and emit pheromones which drive the males into a state of arousal strong enough to overcome all other priorities. When females consume ginger, their hormonal cycles are disrupted and they become fertile and emit pheromones immediately. After sex, females gestate their fertilized eggs for several weeks. After laying them in a suitable nesting spot, they abandon them. The hatchlings neither receive nor need parental care from either parent. Eoghan Homeworld: Cinnabar Alternative Names: Koala (derog) Spacefaring: '''Yes, Hyperspace-capable '''Political Affiliations: Eoghan United Commons (a collectivist state) Number: Excess of a quarter Trillion (est) Natural Lifespans: 70 w/o modern medicine, 130 w/ Eoghan are a mammalian insectovor species that have speciallized bijoints allowing for both Quadrupedal and Bipedal movement. They are smaller than what humans consider standard, falling close to a meter standing bipedal (this is not considering the tail which can reach almost a meter itself), and weight 30kg. Planets that have been teraformed to Eoghan preference are only mildly beyond human tolerance; usually with higher gravity, a denser atmosphere and a higher concentration of oxygen (generally enough to get humans high). They are known for their curiosity. Mari Political Affiliation: 'Former Outlander Commissions '''Hyperspace Capable: '''Yes '''Numbers: '''Unknown '''Life Spans: '''Unknown The Mari are gigantic, bipedal carnivores. Very slow to move and think since their niche was trapping. Not much to see there except that they speak in sounds too low for human ears to perceive and they tend to be surprisingly friendly if fed. They're served by the Tym. 'N'sss Political Affliation: N/A Hyperspace Capable: '''Yes '''Numbers: 50 Billion+ Life Span: UNK The N'sss are native to the shoal regions of the Badlands (presumably located in the general neighborhood of the Grand Dominion border). They are believed to have or be seeking contact with some sort of malign extradimensional entities (see also Eoghan religion). The N'sss are very far from the humanoid biological baseline, as demonstrated by their ability to use the 'step-through' hyperspace drive variant, which is infamous for its ability to drive most warm-blooded oxygen-breathers irretrievably mad. Speculatively, this may be due to quirks in the species' neural biochemistry or psychological makeup, but the true details may never become known. Tym Political Affiliation: '''Former Outlander Commissions '''Hyperspace Capable: '''Yes '''Numbers: '''Unknown '''Life Spans: '''Unknown Tiny (foot tall or so) carnivores with eight limbs, six of which have hands (four of which are also used as feet), some fur, a strong R-strategy in their reproduction. They make excellent technicians with their small size and natural curiosity, but there's a growing Communist movement amongst them. Their larvae are even smaller and actually eat plants for a couple of years before cocooning themselves to make the transition. Zigonians '''Homeworld: '''Zigon-5 '''Alternative Names: '''Lizardoids '''Spacefaring: '''Yes. Hyperspace-capable. '''Political Affiliations: '''United Solarian Sovereignty, Toraamal Republic '''Number: '''75 billion '''Natural Lifespans: ~200 without moder medicine, >400 with modern medicine, >750 with anti-aging augmentation Zigonians are bipedal reptilians, standing slightly taller than an average human, despite their slouched and forward-leaning posture, and weigh significantly less. However, because the Zigonian body never truly ceases the production of growth hormones, they can grow far larger than any human possibly can (the tallest un-augmented Zigonian was nearly 10 feet in height). Zigonian skin is composed of scales that have rudimentary chameleonic attributes. Known as a relaxed and easy-going society, Zigonians have in the past proven uninterested in military conquests in favour of an open, fun-loving society. However, an enraged Zigonian can still be a formidable foe due to the species' enormous strength and durability. Computational/Cybernetic Posthumans Homeworld: Development largely happened on Ny Norge, Nova Australia and Zhongguo, first prototype posthumans assembled on Zhongguo in 3087 Spacefaring: Yes. Hyperspace-capable. Political Affiliations: Nova Atlantean Commonwealth of Worlds, small established enclaves in the Eoghan United Communes Population: 25 billion Lifespan: Indefinate Posthumans are part of an attempt by the Commonwealth Government to refine cybernetics technologies to the effect of acheiving human immortality. A Posthuman is a nanotechnologically and cybernetically enhanced human brian and spinal columb. Said form can be placed into a variety of bodies which it can assume control of with a fair amount of ease. Posthumans also have enhanced abilities, they can easily calculate large sums, they have considerably improved reflexes and reaction time and have a much greater degree of control over their emotional state. This process also neutralises psionic ability. While the Commonwealth's population does see this as the next stage of Human Evolution the processes to convert a normal human to a posthuman is still expensive and time consuming to do due to the sensitive nature of the work and as such, only a fraction of the Commonwealth's population has been upgraded to posthumanity. Posthumans make up the vast majority of the upper ecelons of Nova Atlantean society. Category:Character Information